The invention is based on a priority application EP 01 440 243.2 which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The invention relates to a method for the visual display of states of network elements of a network to be monitored in a monitoring device and a monitoring device and program module therefor.
To monitor and control a communications network with a multiplicity of network elements, central monitoring methods are used that have standardized notifications. An essential part of said monitoring method relates to the alarm management. Alarm management includes the collection of alarm notifications from objects of the monitored network or subnetwork, the determination of alarm states and the visual display of notifications and alarm states. The alarm notifications are standardized by the International Telecommunications Unit (ITU) as recommendation X.733 entitled “Information Technology—Open System Interconnection—System Management: Alarm Reporting Function”, referred to below as ITU Directive X.733 for short. In this connection, in particular, alarm types, alarm causes, alarm severity levels or urgency ratings and various alarm displays, for example, a trend indication and threshold information are defined. For the trend indication, whether the urgency of a currently determined alarm is greater than, equal to or less than the urgency of all alarms hitherto determined (and still current) is determined.
Depending on the size of said network, a communications network is monitored from one or more central monitoring points. Efficient monitoring with the least possible need for personnel requires the concentration of the monitoring device at as few monitoring points as possible. This means that a monitoring point is responsible for monitoring a multiplicity of network devices, for example, for more than 50 switching points. The performance of a monitoring point depends to a large extent on the user interface, i.e. the visual display of alarm notifications and alarm states and the trend indication of alarm states.
A substantial problem in the visual display of monitoring devices in current communications networks, for example the so-called “switch management centers” for network operators, is that the information relating to alarm notifications and alarm states is not processed optimally. Even in the normal case, i.e. without the pressure of exceptional events or states, an operator has frequently to change between various display screen windows in order to obtain the necessary information relating to the monitoring of the network or of a subnetwork. Thus, for the purpose of overview, for example, a window is offered having a network map in which the individual network elements of the communications network to be monitored are displayed with their mutual relationships. The network elements are displayed as pictorial objects that contain, for example, a name, a symbol, for example a symbol for a switching center, a numerical display of alarms received and still pending and may assume a defined color depending on current urgency. The relationships of the network elements among one another are displayed by means of connecting lines. Because of the complex interweaving of relationships, only a very limited number of network elements can be displayed in a display screen window. In order to be able to display each of said network elements when necessary, the network is divided up into a plurality of subnetworks or submaps, said subnetworks each being indicated as a pictorial object in an upper display level and a corresponding submap with the network elements contained therein being displayed only on selecting or clicking on such a pictorial element.
A further window shows, for example, in a scrollable list all the alarm notifications received in their temporal sequence. The alarm notifications received can, at the same time, also be filtered in accordance with certain criteria. Thus, for example, it is possible to arrange for alarm notifications to be indicated only from a certain severity level upwards.
To track the alarm states of the network elements, the operator frequently has to switch between the above-described views. To assess the dynamic development of alarm states, i.e. to forecast trends, it is necessary, in addition, to compare current alarm figures with the alarm figures shown earlier.